Destiny Crowned Napoleon

Napoleon once declared, “I did not usurp the crown; I found it in the gutter and the French people put it on my head.” The French people had indeed led him towards his coronation. Over a decade of the revolution had passed and the government that had ruled France proved to be unstable and incompetent. Napoleon, who was a natural leader and a beloved Frenchman, was welcomed into power. The people saw in him a promise of efficiency supported by his experience rather than the theoretical changes the revolutionaries provided. Naturally, Napoleon brought great reforms to France, altering both domestic and foreign policies. Napoleon’s rise to power and doctrine changed the course of history forever, in positive and negative ways, both domestically and internationally. Fate took Napoleon to the highest position of power in France, and due to his political and military ambition, the world was changed.

Part of destiny’s role in Napoleon’s rise to power was the weaknesses of the revolutionary government. In fact, the key to Napoleon’s rise was the failure of the French Revolution. The revolutionary governments that controlled France during a decade proved themselves to be unworthy of the power they held. Historian Micheal Rapport agrees that “Bonaparte’s ambition, his skill and his popularity cannot be dismissed as factors in his own rise, but more important were the failings of the Directory.” The French Revolution was characterized by terror, economic strife, crime, and political instability. Tens of thousands of French lives were unnecessarily taken during this time; if the guillotine didn’t decapitate someone, the person might have died of starvation. When Abbe Sieyes, a chief theorist of the revolution, was asked what he did during the revolution he answered, “I survived.” Even he, who was an advocate of reform, recognized the unending nightmare that the French Revolution had dreadfully become. Even though the revolutionary spirit still roamed in the hearts of the French, the people longed for some stability in the nation, for some good within the midst of chaos. And destiny drew Napoleon to lift the spirits of the French’s torn hearts. The hero the French longed for was born within the cannonades used to suppress the attempt of a royalist revolt at the National Convention in 1795. Napoleon’s actions inspired the French to love him; a love that would later escort him to his fate of becoming an emperor.

Basically, Napoleon was the right person in the right place at the right time. As the savior of the French Republic, the Directory granted him the command of the Army of Italy. During his military campaigns in Italy he commenced his experience as a ruler. His glorious triumphs in Italy attested his keen leadership and military skills. Napoleon’s command flummoxed the Directory; he had surpassed their expectations in Italy. He took over the whole region, scaring the Austrian forces into their own land. When he threatened to enter Vienna, the Austrians surrendered their war efforts and decided to succumb to French power through a peace treaty they had agreed upon. Due to the many occupations of the struggling Directory, generals such as Napoleon had the privilege of gaining power within their region. Napoleon thus controlled Italy for some period of time and “he had begun to govern, removing many features of Italy's archaic feudal system with modern laws that changed education, taxation and religion.” Napoleon reported his successes through a newspaper he had organized for his troops. Although his intention was not for them to be read in France, they were. The stories of his successes would come to be celebrated in Paris, fomenting the affection the French had for him. Subsequent to his period in Italy, he led his armies into Egypt. Despite the fact thst the Egyptian campaign was ultimately a failure, Napoleon still demonstrated his dexterity in ruling by finding the Rosetta Stone in his excursions around the nation, setting up Egypt’s first Postal Service and Health Department along other modernizations. Before he returned to France he had learned valuable lessons concerning how to rule a nation. To respect religion, create departments within the government, and to support modernization are among some of the virtues he came to value.

He finally rose to power when he returned to France and was invited to join a coup that was being organized by Abbe Sieyes and Roger Ducos. Again, fate made him the right person to be in Paris at the right time. The military coup was successful and he had become one of the three consuls in power. In 1800, when he held a plebiscite for the new constitution and the votes for the new constitution overwhelmed those against it, was when he actually rose to supreme power. This happened because the people of France had grown to love him and most importantly trust him. People came to love him so much that they prayed for his success: “We also owe him [Napoleon] fervent prayers for his safety and for the spiritual and temporal prosperity of the state.” His military and ruling experiences in Egypt and Italy made him the right person to lead the nation, and his return to France at the verge of a coup was the right time to be that person. Napoleon then knew he was destined to rule France, both because of the people’s desire for it and because he knew he had to take advantage of the opportunities life had handed him.

Regardless of his short time in power, Napoleon changed the course of history drastically. In the short-term, the results of his reign in France were excellent for domestic life. Napoleon helped restore peace in political, economic and social aspects of his nation’s society. He improved politics by dismissing corrupt officials and creating a system of laws known as the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code prevented injustices from occurring but at the same time limited some of the freedoms of the people. He was also great for France because he restored the country’s economy. He reformed the tax system, established a national banking system, and appointed tax collectors to avoid evasion of taxes. Another essential decision he made while ruling France concerned two important social aspects: religion and education. Napoleon settled on a concordat with Pope Pius VII in order to restore Catholicism in France, this contented thousands of devout Catholics who weren’t allowed to worship at churches. Napoleon also founded lycees , these were government run public schools intended for male citizens to be educated properly despite their social class. Napoleon Bonaparte refurbished and improved French society substantially in the short term. Durant, author of The Age of Napoleon, concurs that "Napoleon was a progressive force, establishing political stability, restoring morality... modernizing... codifying law... ending or mitigating feudalism... establishing schools, beautifying cities... encouraging science... Helped by his prodding, Europe advanced half a century during the fifteen years of his rule." Unfortunately, in the long term, France was hurt by his rule. Napoleon’s empire motivated monarchs to form the Congress of Vienna, in which monarchy was returned to France. Charles X, France’s future monarch , was a reactionary; he hurt France a lot by eliminating crucial liberalisms such as the constitution.
Despite some of his success in his nation, outside of France the results of Napoleon’s rule were controversial. The grand emperor committed several mistakes in Europe and in the Americas. In the Americas, Napoleon committed two mistakes for his empire: he sold the Louisiana Territory and he gave up on Saint Domengue when the rebels took control of it. In the long run, these two decisions did not benefit France at all, they lost a lot of land and riches. Instead, this decision of Napoleon’s was splendid for the United States, who gained vast territories, and Saint Domengue which would later become the independent nation of Haiti. Napoleon’s period in power changed Europe completely. In the short term, the Napoleonic Wars cost thousands of European lives. In the long term, it would do just as much harm as this, if not more. As stated before, Napoleon’s empire inspired the Congress of Vienna to be held with the purpose of restoring monarchies in Europe, containing revolutions, and diminishing France’s power. Nonetheless, because monarchies were reinstated and revolutionary ideas were still dominant in the nationalistic peoples of Europe, clashes between the rulers and the people continued to disrupt the peacefulness of domestic lives. Secret societies in Poland and Germany became a threat to government stability and was rigorously fought. The fear of France’s power after Napoleon also caused the Germanic states to join into the German Confederation and the Austrian Netherlands to combine with the Dutch Republic as to increase their powers in case of a threat a France could possibly pose.

As to conclude, there are no better words to describe the reasons why Napoleon rose to power or what the results of his reign were than his own, “Destiny called upon me to change the face of the world”. Napoleon’s destiny was to become the emperor of France. He became a French hero when the people most needed one. Through his successes and a little bit of chance, he happened to be at the right place at the right time, resulting in his rise to power. Once he had this power, Napoleon definitely changed the face of the world, from the expansion of America to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.









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Clarisse McClellan, the Trigger

Clarisse McClellan, a ‘crazy seventeen year old’ girl from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, is a vital character in developing the book’s main themes. Even though Clarisse’s presence in Montag’s life (the main character) is brief, her wonderful sappiness would drastically change Montag’s perspective of the world. Clarisse motivated Montag to see and think beyond society, inspiring in him feelings that would affect the course of actions he would then take. Clarisse McClellan’s liveliness and happiness represents the love of life that her society lacks. Her passion for living advocates for knowledge, emotion, and freedom of expression against censorship, all themes she helps develop through the influence she had on Guy Montag.
Being a distinguished member of such an ignorant community, Clarisse appreciates small details around her. As Clarisse parades her unique personality to Montag, she subconsciously inspires him to see the beauty in life as she does. At first, Montag sees Clarisse as a peculiar female with inimitable character. However, by spending more time with her, he comes to welcome her eccentric and schmaltzy character. To Montag, Clarisse is somewhat opposite of the society, as he spends time with her he appreciates aspects of life absent in his society. What is Montag’s society against and a key part of his life? Book reading. Through Clarisse, Montag develops an intriguing interest in books and knowledge. This increasing interest propels Guy to read and act against book burning. His fascination in literature assists him to distinguish the difference between the richness in books written in previous generations in contrast to the dullness and ignorance of the society he lives in. Knowledge versus ignorance, a theme of the book, is present due to Clarisse’s distinction from society reflecting on fireman Guy Montag.

Even today, the world lacks of people who look at the little details in life. Having Clarisse as a neighbor who collects bugs and flavors the succulent rain would make anyone adore life more than they already did. Clarisse’s loving personality produces Montag’s new surge of emotion. She unveiled the sentiment in Montag by making comments such as: “People don’t talk about anything. . . . They name a lot of cars or clothes or swimming pools mostly and say how swell! But they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else.” The inertness of society now stands out in Montag’s eyes because he now feels passion and interest as opposed to being satisfied by simple pleasures. Montag then demonstrates another theme of the book, emotion versus dullness. This theme is extraordinarily displayed when Montag reads “Dover Beach” to Mildred and her lifeless friends Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles. Montag lets emotion out of his spirit by expressing himself to boring women who underestimate and fear freedom of expression. Clarisse unintentionally gave Guy the desire to feel. She made Montag’s mind swirl with emotion ever since she asks him, “Are you happy?”
Though Clarisse’s appearance is brief, she indirectly points out censorship to Montag. She tells Montag about how school lacks real content, education or interaction as well as how she is considered anti-social when everyone else is so fast-paced and impersonal… All these minute details cause Montag to realize how censored society really is. Clarisse freely expresses her emotions to Montag as a book would; they both share unique qualities which are not accepted in Guy’s society. This symbolic similarity between Clarisse and books causes Montag to question the burning of books. He fears that burning books is like Clarisse’s death, a sudden end to beauty. Once Montag grows lucid and realizes how oppressive and hedonistic his society is, he decides to fight on behalf of the oppressed, on behalf of the books. Clarisse makes Montag a soldier against book banning and censorship of education, books, and philosophy.
Clarisse’s love of life sparks Montag’s motivation to learn, to challenge society, to be captivated by emotion and act against censorship and ignorance. Clarisse might not have survived to see Montag change, but what she said and did inspired Montag to love life and challenge a lifeless society. Clarisse triggered Montag to be knowledgeable, alive and a threat to censorship.

Afghanistan versus Soviet Union: America Prevails

During the 1980’s Afghans surprisingly overcame the Soviet Union invasion; however the fate of Afghanistan would have been a gloomy one if not for American assistance. During the late 70’s, the Americans notice a marvelous opportunity to weaken the Soviet Union, and to help the Afghans. This happened when Afghanistan’s communist party came to power and would ask for the Soviets’ help to contain the rebellious movements of the mujahedeen. The Americans would not permit the Soviets to take control of Afghanistan. The determination to cause a Soviet defeat in Afghanistan motivated US government officials to act astutely and swiftly. Due to their covert operations successes, the United States was able to achieve their goals. Even though the local mujahedeen pushed the Soviets back to their own side of the border, the support of the Americans must be credited for the Afghans’ victory. The Americans were the real victors in the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
It all started in the late 70’s, these were years of turmoil in Afghan soil; when the communist party took control of the government and the US’s eyes opened. The United States predicted the Soviets would want to invade in order to prevent revolt against the communist government. This was seen as a perfect opportunity by the Americans to take action in the Middle Eastern country. The American government saw the chance of decreasing the Soviets overwhelming power, contain communism, and help the Afghans, goals that would be worked towards. The motivation to be involved in this possible war led to immediate action escorted by the Jimmy Carter administration. Thus, even before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the Americans had organized secret aid for Afghan rebels, and “knowingly increased the probability that they [the Soviets] would” invade Afghanistan (globalresearch.com). Operation Cyclone, the name given to this covert CIA operation, proved effective in 1979’s Christmas Eve, the day Afghanistan was invaded. However, this invasion would not be a walk in the park for anyone involved.
Nonetheless, hearty determination from distinguished individuals in the United States made the whole movement occur. American involvement was vigorously supported by many lawmakers and government officials, such as Charlie Wilson, whose efforts were dedicated to Afghanistan prevailing in this Vietnam-like-war. Former Congressman Charlie Wilson (Texan Democrat) witnessed the atrocities the Soviets had caused the people of Afghanistan when visiting Pakistani aid camps; this made him a noticeable advocate of the Afghans as well as a fierce Anti-Communist. He was extremely influential in Congress; in less than a decade he increased the CIA’s budget “from a few million dollars… to about $750 million”, he also helped convince the Egyptian and Israeli governments in supplying the mujahedeen with modern weaponry that the United States would pay for (Johnson). American advocates opened the doors of victory for the Afghans and closed the doors of USSR optimum efficiency.
As a result, American’s efforts were obviously paid off. Through this movement sponsored by the CIA and financed by Congress, weapons such as AK-47’s and Stinger Missile Systems reached the hands of Afghans fighting for their nation. Hundreds of thousands of weapons were given to the mujahedeen regime and thousands of members of this group were trained for combat. These American-provided mechanisms and training enabled the mujahedeen to overcome the Soviet invasion. The Red Army was effectively defeated, resulting in their retreat on February 15, 1989.
The USSR was also affected greatly by its failure. It lost fifteen thousand troops, but the true damage done was in the degradation of its image, and the billions of dollars it spent during the war. This fall from invincibility and vast expenditure of money to finance the invasion in part caused the USSR to fall apart in the early 1990s (Zhang and Jacobs).
Not only was the USSR put in debt due to the invasion, it was weakened to such an extent that it would dissolve around a decade after the war. The war also made Russians question the efficacy of a Red Army, their imperialistic government. These ideas were motivated by the accounts of the scarred war veterans, and propagated by the media. It is not enough to say that the US promoted the defeat of the Soviets, it undeniably caused it.
Overall, with the right motivation, ardent determination, and precise execution, America’s mission to ensure the mujahedeen’s triumph succeeded. Operation Cyclone was not only ingenious; it was also the largest covert CIA operation in US history. The US’s effort caused the Soviet Invasion to be costly, unproductive, and unwise. Communism was contained, the Soviets were taken out of Afghanistan and the Afghans were liberated war. The American’s victory in this war was one worthy of celebration, given that not one drop of American blood was spilled, neither civilian nor military. All goals that the United States of America wanted to achieve in this war were surpassed, but most importantly, its efforts lead to an Afghan victory. America prevails.


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United States Presidential Elections of 2008 - Thoughts During March

“Yes we can! Yes we can!” chanted the young crowd of Barack Obama in New Hampshire, and they sure can. Young voters across the United States of America are deciding, step by step, who will reside in the White House as president in 2009. Young voters have created electricity in primaries and caucuses so far, demonstrating amazing motivation, creating publicity through their social lives and voting because they have a candidate to vote for.

Young Voters in Democratic Primaries of 2008
Young voters all over the country have played an imperative role so far in the process of electing a nominee for each party, especially in the Democratic Party. Since the first day of Democratic primaries on January 2, fresh voters in Iowa went up to the stands and voted, making up 22% of the popular vote in the state (“Entrance”). But Iowa was not a one time thing; it has happened almost constantly. 16% of California’s vote, 17% of Utah’s vote, and 13% of New Jersey’s vote was made up of voters 18 through 29 (“Results: Utah”, “Results: California”, “Results: New Jersey”).
Not only has the new generation of voters made its presence felt, their vote has been decisive in critical moments, especially in favor of Senator Barack Obama. Obama has depended on new voters as his main source of ballots. He has had victories during these primaries with exceptionally close margins because of his popularity with young Americans. Missouri, a state known for getting the president they want, was won by Senator Obama by 1%. If 65% of voters 18-29 years old would not have voted for Barack, then the up-runner, Hillary Clinton, would have won by a great margin (“Exit Polls: Missouri”). Barack’s base of polling is black people, wealthy and educated voters, and college students (“Political”). In Wisconsin’s primaries on February 19th, Barack won the state 58% to Hillary’s 41%. Exit polls of this state affirm that 20% of the respondents 18-49 years old voted for Obama (“Exit Polls: Wisconsin”, “Results: Wisconsin”). Barack has depended amazingly of his young followers and they have clearly not let him down.

Obama Support
Barack Obama is evidently popular within young voters and he should be. Barack Obama is a fresh face proposing a change in American government; he is the youngest candidate in the race, and his rhetoric is inspiring and convincing (“Democratic”).
A main reason Obama is popular with the young crowd is because he is new. He is not a Clinton or a Bush, who have dominated the White House for the last 20 years; this would be 24-28 years if Hillary wins the election (“List”). Obama is offering a new type of way in which things will get done in Washington; he often criticizes Washington’s lack of solution (Texas). “It's a game where Democrats and Republicans fail to come together year after year after year, while another mother goes without health care for her sick child. That's why we have to put an end to the division and distraction in Washington, so that we can unite this nation around a common purpose, a higher purpose,” Obama told the crowd in Madison, Wisconsin on Potomac Night, “Because at a time when so many people are struggling to keep up with soaring costs in a sluggish economy, we know that the status quo in Washington just won't do. Not this time. Not this year. We can't keep playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expect a different result – because it's a game that ordinary Americans are losing.” (Obama). Young people were not old enough to fully appreciate Bill Clinton’s presidency, especially people between ages of 18-29 who were practically teenagers or younger during his time. Young voters have seen the negative influence of the Bush Administration and want a change in Washington, not only a change of president, but a change of the “status quo” in American government, as Barack says. Young voters feel he is running a clean campaign compared to other candidates, no typical dirty tricks such as fake scandals regarding other candidates; this gives him an honest appearance (Gray 78-80). Since Hillary has been in the White House before, as First Lady, people do not see her as a person who will change Washington much, whereas Obama clearly speaks his mind on Washington’s way of solving the country’s conflicts.
Young voters can also identify Barack because he is the youngest candidate, just like JFK was, meaning he has spent less time in ‘Washington’s game’; nonetheless he has fought for change in the years he has (Obama, “Democratic”, Boller 296). Young people may like Hillary but she is not really new or fresh. “I love Hillary Clinton, I’m a democrat, I think she’s wonderful, but I don’t want to go backwards to go forwards,” says young Katerina Graham (“Yes, We Can”). In the Texas Democratic Debate a question was addressed to the candidates that asked their opinion on spending & secrecy, especially because of Obama’s and Clinton’s criticism of how the Bush Administration organizes this. Obama’s response was, “…I believe very strongly in transparency... One of the things I did last year was to pass a bill with Tom Coburn… we got together and created what is called Google for Government, it’s a searchable database where every single dollar of federal spending is posted on the internet… the idea is to open up the process so that the American people can make judgments about whether or not the government is doing what they are supposed to be doing with its tax payer money…” (“Hillary”, Texas). This is a clear statement in which Obama proves he wants change; he does not want secrecy, he wants transparency. Obama’s thoughts on the war in Iraq are extremely clear; he has been against it since the beginning, another difference from Washington politicians. During the Texas Debate there were many issues to discuss, such as Iraq, America’s transparency, and the candidates opinion on immigration, after all the United States is called “a nation of immigrants.” (Sullivan 98). During the debate Campbell Brown, a mediator of the debate, asked Obama what he thought of the war: “…you were also opposed to it (war in Iraq) since the beginning, were you wrong (about it)?” She proves that Obama was against the war since the beginning. (“Hillary”, Texas). So even if Barack is a dozen years more inexperienced than some of the other candidates, his ethics and standards have proven themselves worthy of voters’ ballots and solid enough to be ‘president-material’.
Yet, the reason why millions of young voters have turned to Obama as their favorite candidate is his amazing rhetoric. Young adults are inspired to vote for Barack because his words show he means what he says. His emotions while speaking are true; he really wants change and he does believe he can bring it to the people. His most admired speech is the speech he gave in Nashua, New Hampshire. He improvised magnificently; his words were inspiring to all of its listeners. He spoke of American hope: “…we’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope, but in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.” He spoke of American achievements, “…a President who chose the moon as our new frontier.” Spoke about how American people can do anything, “…it was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed the trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights. Yes, we can.” (“Barack Obama: Yes We Can”) A song produced by Will.I.Am, a member of the band, Black Eyed Peas, was inspired by this speech. He got a group of approximately forty artists to sing and appear in the video of the song inspired entirely by the speech. “…instead of putting it in the hands of profit we put it in the hands of inspiration....” says Will.I.Am on his song. All of the artists just started coming up to him or calling him telling him they wanted to take part of the song and then ‘magic happened’ (“Yes, We Can”).
Another aspect of Barack’s popularity rises from the Kennedy family endorsement. The Kennedy family endorsement has convinced young voters that Obama is the right candidate. Barack has many things in common with JFK, they were both the youngest candidates for president and they both spoke about the public interest, rather than themselves or other candidates (Boller 296-299). “…I think each of us, women and men and children, deserve the best candidate and the best president and in my mind there’s no question that that’s Barack Obama,” says Vicki Kennedy (“Yes, We Can”). Someone else who endorsed Obama was Edward Kennedy, JFK’s brother. He spoke of how he was endorsing the candidate who inspired him and the rest of the country and how the country needed a new generation of leadership (Levs). Even though the Kennedys are not new to Washington, they still represent change and they know that a young candidate, like Obama, can be a great president. When the youth of America hears this from one of the greatest president’s brother, they agree it is time for a new generation of politics, their generation of politics.
Obama is more than inspiration to young people; he is a change all people can believe in. Young people support him and want him to be president because in their perspective he will be the next best president; he will be the next John F. Kennedy.

Gaining Support for a Candidate Social networks facilitate the new generation of voters to gain support for a candidate. Social networks have an immense quantity of youth taking part of their site. Websites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube enable campaign publicity. Much of this publicity is coming from young voters who want to gain support for a candidate.
Facebook allows users to join groups, add applications to their profile or support teams and people. This website has permitted users to support presidential candidates, thus Facebook has around a million users who have declared their support for a candidate. Barack Obama has 658, 252 supporters, making him the candidate with the most supporters in Facebook (“Barack Obama”). Hillary Clinton has 126, 634 supporters and John McCain has 78, 405 supporters (“Hillary Clinton”, “John McCain”).
In MySpace you can create your own profile, post pictures, data, add friends and comment people. Like Facebook, MySpace has a lot of participation in demonstrating endorsements from users. Young MySpace users show their support to candidates by adding their favorite candidate as a friend and writing supportive comments to them. Again, Barack Obama has the largest amount of supporters, or in this case, friends; 306, 107 (“MySpace - Barack Obama”).Hillary has 187, 606 friends and John McCain has 46,860 friends (“MySpace - John McCain”, “MySpace - Hillary Clinton”). Again young men and women are taking part of these elections, increasing popularity and showing support for a candidate.
YouTube is a website on which you can post videos. Young people today love YouTube; it is currently one of the most popular websites. Thousands of videos related to the presidential elections have been posted. Barack Obama has supportive videos such as the ‘Yes, We Can’ song by Will.I.Am which has had 5,420,382 views since it was posted on YouTube (“Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video”). Obama also has comedic videos posted about him such as the video known as ‘Obama Girl’ which has 6, 708, 229 views (“I Got a Crush...”). Hillary Clinton has popular supportive videos on YouTube such as Jack Nicholson’s endorsement ad; in one day of being posted it had 44, 892 views (“Jack”). Videos of celebrities endorsing candidates are extremely popular with young viewers, so are comical videos that raise awareness while they entertain viewers.

Conclusion Young voters will be the deciding factor in the American presidential elections of 2008. They will keep voting in masses never seen before in primary history, having Obama grasp the democratic nomination. They will keep increasing his support through social networks so that in the general elections millions of young voters will dedicate their ballot to Barack. He will reside in the White House as the United States’ president by 2009.





NOTE TO READERS: Not all the numbers, statistics and events may remain the same, all of these were recorded during early months of 2008 and have not been updated. This is an article written during March for the future but has not been published until the 30 of August, 2008.






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